For Once, Then, Something
by Hotaru Muraki
Summary: [finished] Ending one thing just means the beginning of another. Now Cain only has to make Shidou understand that... (upped the rating – again!)
1. Prologue

QUESTION: What does the title have to do with the rest of the story?

Disclaimer: The (gorgeous, absolutely droolable) guys from "Mayonaka no Tantei" (i.e. "Night Walker") DO NOT belong to me. *sniffs* They never have and – probably – never will. *bawls*

Warning: This WILL concern a relationship between two MALES. Don't like it? Then don't read it! ~_^

Author's Note: Now what the hell possessed me to write a _prologue_? Especially when it's the *ahem* next part I should really be worried about?? Yep, I found the poem. It's by Robert Frost. (Anyone know "Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening"? The last lines especially: 'But I have promises to keep / And miles to go before I sleep. / And miles to go before I sleep…') *grins* Plus: It fits in the fanfic. Why? *laughs evilly* 'Cause I MADE it fit. ^ ^ Besides, every (good?) story needs a prologue, ne? ~__^;;

**For Once, Then, Something**

by Hotaru Muraki

~ Prologue ~

"Shidoooouuuuu. . . Come on. . ." Guni whined. "You can't be serious about—"

"But I am," I interrupted the little green fairy. She was hovering agitatedly almost in front of me. Stretching a little, I leaned back in my chair. Really! I had risen only half an hour ago and already Guni was nagging! Truth be told, I could almost under-stand her point – somewhere, somehow. If I tried.

Then the door opened and—

"Good morning, Shidou-san!"

Ah, the cavallery had arrived. "And a good afternoon to you, too, Rihou-chan."

I couldn't but smile at her cheerful greeting. Rihou's energetic nature always had taken me by surprise, even when she had been still…human. I would never have believed anyone, let alone a newly 'born' vampire, be capable of so much… compassion. Except…

I reined my erroneous thoughts back in sharply. _Now_ certainly was _not_ the time to—

"Shidou-san, won't you reconsider your decision? Pleeeeeeeaaase…?" Big, imploring eyes gazed up at me.

"Yes, Shidou, please do." With that, Yayoi, obviously the third member of this 'assault party' stepped into my office. "Think of all the fun we could have…" She tilted her head, her long, luscious mane of black hair falling artfully over one shoulder, a startling contrast against her lime-green costume. Laughter twinkled merrily in the back of her blue eyes and her lips were pursed suggestively, teasing me, no, _daring_ me to comment on _that_.

Those three had obviously conspired against me. I could see that clearly now. Why else would they all pressure me at the same time? Their concern touched me deeply, and yet… Why did I stay? And when I was sorely tempted, really, to just give in to their demands, too?

"Thanks you three. I appreciate your efforts on my behalf, but regretfully, I will have to decline." Why had I decided to stay again…? "I have told you my reason for remaining here: As much as I would like to accompany you three ladies to that _onsen_, someone has to stay behind in case of an emergency. You never know when another Nightbreed might show up, ne?" Was that my…real reason?

"Well…" Rihou said, hesitatingly. "I can see your point… But I don't have to like it, do I?"

"Much as I hate to admit it, Shidou, you're right. You could, however, at least drive with us to the airport. I would hate to leave my car parked there and that way, you could drive it back. Please…?" Yayoi mock-batted her eye-lashes at me.

Sighing resignedly, I gave up. "As you wish, my dear lady. But…" Smiling slightly, I rose from my chair. "…at least let me get my coat first."

Ducking into my 'bedroom', it took me only a few minutes to reappear again, clad in my usual attire. "Well then… Shall we?"

"Haaaiii…" the three of them chorused.

As we were all moving towards the door of my office, Rihou turned to me. "Shidou-san, the poem we talked about recently…"

"Yes…?"

"I put a copy of it on your desk."

"Ah, thank you. That was very thoughtful of you. I'll read it when I return from the airport." With that last remark, I ushered them out, closing and locking the door.

The draft from that movement picked up the piece of paper Rihou had put on top of the pile on my desk. The paper flew haphazardly upwards, only to be snatched up by an unseen hand. Invisible eyes scanned the sheet and came to rest at the bottom of the page. The invisible hand let go of the paper again, letting it flutter to the floor. . . . .

**                              For once, then, something (1920)**

by Robert Frost

_Others taunt me with having knelt at well-curbs_

_Always wrong to the light, so never seeing_

_Deeper down in the well than where the water_

_Gives me back in a shining surface picture_

_Me myself in the summer heaven, godlike,_

_Looking out of a wreath of fern and cloud puffs.___

Once_, when trying with chin against a well-curb,_

_I discerned, as I thought, beyond the picture,_

_Through the picture, a something white, uncertain,_

_Something more to the depths—and then I lost it._

_Water came to rebuke the too clear water._

_One drop fell from a fern, and lo, a ripple_

_Shook whatever it was lay there at the bottom_

_Blurred it, blotted it out. What was that whiteness?_

_Truth?__ A pebble of quartz? For once, then, something.___

An unseen mouth smirked, showing teeth no-one was there to see.

To be continued. . .


	2. Chapter 1: Surprise, surprise

QUESTIONS: How come Cain came back? After being decapitated and falling off the bridge? And even more handsome and determined than before... *VBEG*

Disclaimer: ...Did anyone really *seriously* believe that "Mayonaka no Tantei" (i.e. "NightWalker"), Cain, Shidou and all the other characters belong to me?? (*sniffs* Sadly enough, they DON'T !! T____T )

Warning: This concerns a Relationship between two MALES. (And, hopefully, will eventually be turning lemony... *beams*) If you do not like such stuff, then LEAVE! *waves* Shoo! *brandishes cross* Be gone!! (On the other hand... Then why would you be here, ne ? ~__^)

Dedication:       - _SoulSister_, who may yet convince me that Seto/Joey just _might_ be not all that bad. ^.^;;

                        - _silverwyvern_, who gave me an encouraging review on a fic I was starting to doubt. ^__^v

                        - _Darkmaster2_, a fellow 'Nightwalker'-fan and writer. ~^__^~

**_For Once, Then, Something_**

by Hotaru Muraki

~ Part One ~

Friday nights are really a terrible time to spend alone. Earlier this evening I had accompanied Yayoi, Riho and Guni to the airport. Yayoi had planned to visit those cousins twice-removed for quite some time now. She had, for that same amount of time, been trying to persuade me to go with her. When Riho had found out that Yayoi's relatives owned a large _ryokan_ with an _onsen_ as an additional bonus, she had joined in Yayoi's attempt at persuasion. Even Guni had been infected with their enthusiasm of, as she put it, 'getting away from all that crap that's been happening lately'. That explained some of their excitement alright!

Not that I can't understand them...

At first, I had really actually thought about joining them...but then, I became somewhat uneasy. This whole business sounded almost too good to be true. What if this was just some elaborate trap? Some Machiavellian scheme waiting to be carried out? By..._Him_...?!

I knew I was being paranoid, and perhaps overly so – as Yayoi so graciously agreed when I voiced some of my fears to her. But then again... She didn't know Cain even a shred as well as I did. I think no-one does. At least no-one who can still talk about it.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! I had vowed to not think about him any longer! He was...gone. Destroyed. Vanished from the face of this earth. I had decapitated him that night on top of that bridge... He. Was. Gone. Gone!!

As his head and body had tumbled from those lofty heights, I had numbly wondered whether the brightly flickering flames of the explosion below would consume him. Or would he turn to ash before even reaching said fiery grave?

I guess some of those old clichés about vampires still hold, hm? Question is – do they hold true?

_Now_ I have the time to think and muse about it to my heart's content. Back then... Back then, the only thing I remember feeling was a profound sense of relief. It was over. Finally. I was finally free!

Free at last. No more...dreams. No more illusions. No games. No threats. No more...Cain?

I shrugged those unpleasant thoughts aside, shying instinctively away from plunging any deeper into the abyss of memories both old and fairly recent.

Maybe, instead of insisting that they go without me... ("Riho... It's okay." – "But..." – "No, really. I'll be alright, I promise. I a grown boy, ne? Just enjoy yourselves.") Maybe I really should have accompanied Yayoi, Riho and Guni on their 'vacation'... Being alone like this just seems to bring out my moody side, hm?

I stood up from the couch I had been slouching on and walked towards the small kitchenette of my office. Opening the door of the refrigerator, I reached for an almost-empty bottle of the small blood-supply Yayoi had left behind for me. I poured a generous amount and took the glass back to the couch with me. Sitting down, I picked up the remote and switched on the TV.

As I had nothing special in mind for tonight, I just flipped through the channels. Hooray for satellite-TV!

Then some strangely familiar chords of music caught my ear. And my attention. Weren't those...? Yes! The opening credits of that American director's version of "Dracula". Hm... For a vampire to watch _that_... Wouldn't it be somewhat...bizarre? Then again...why not?

After having decided that watching "Dracula" alone in an empty office was better by far than sitting alone in an empty office and watching the ink dry in the glass-jar, I settled down. Guni would definitely call it 'slouching'. I can almost hear her. And Yayoi would undoubtedly tease me about being morbid or something similar. Riho would most likely just scurry closer and start to cuddle against me, content to watch a movie with me.

Funny how they had left just bare hours ago – and I already missed them. It was probably watching this Harker-guy going on about missing his beloved so much and them being so far apart that made me think of my loved ones all of a sudden. After all, what else could it be?

"Does this mean you were also thinking about me?" whispered a hypnotically soft, deep voice from somewhere left behind me.

Nooooooo.........

Tsuzuku...

Note 1: This part (among others) was written BEFORE I even thought of writing a prologue. Then a kind friend pointed out that most people wouldn't be able to make sense of it. (a.k.a. She bugged me about explaining it for so long that I thought it might be easier to just do it than keep continually looking for excuses. __;;)

Note 2: This is my first _NightWalker_-fanfic. (And YES, I _am_ going to inflict it upon you.) IMHO, Shidou _does_ have something of a living-room in his office. Just call it artistic license and be done with it, okay? *winks*

Note 3: The title is from I poem I like dearly – the rest of which I can't remember right now. For some reason though, _this_ line got stuck in the webs of my mind... ^^ I certainly don't lack the ideas but still... I wonder if I should continue this... YOU tell me!


	3. Chapter 2: A 'Guest'

QUESTIONS: How to explain the way Cain looks AFTER the...bridge-incident? And how will he freak out Shido this time? ^^

Disclaimer: *sniffs* I don't know whom all those guys from "Mayonaka no Tantei" (i.e. "Night Walker") really belong to. I only know that it isn't me...! T________T

Warning: This concerns a Relationship between two MALES. (This fic WILL progress to lemony in the near future. ...At least I hope so. *sweatdrops*)

Author's Note: Second inflict—err, installment of my fanfic.

**For Once, Then, Something**

by Hotaru Muraki

~ Part Two: A 'Guest' ~

"Does that mean you were thinking about _me_?"

No. No...!

"Shidou......"

Noooooooo.........

It couldn't be! He was dead! D.E.A.D. Dead and gone!!

Cain...

I didn't know whether shock had frozen me in place or whether Cain had just used some spell of his. All I was absolutely _certain_ of was that I did not want to turn around and find out. _As if I really have a choice!_

Maybe this...nightmare would disappear if I simply ignored it? Maybe it was just some weird dream? Some overzealous figment of my imagination trying to lure me into a guilt-trip...?

"You don't honestly believe that, do you, my darling Shidou...?"

He chuckled, for all outward appearances as amused as a father might be when his child had done something not-quite intelligent but somehow charming nevertheless. To my ears, however, he sounded more like a cat who had caught a mouse and was wondering aloud whether to play with it or eat it right away. From what I knew about him, Cain was anything but amused right now. He was – please excuse the expression – pissed as hell. _I have a baaaad feeling about this..._

"As well you should." The sound of footsteps walking closer ever so softly. Cain had always been able to move like that; a large cat moving silently with all the lethal grace of a born predator. A tiger, for example, was a predator, true. Only... Cain was more dangerous by far.

"Well, my darling Shidou... Don't you have anything to say to me...?" His voice had become even lower, purring along the lines of being barely audible. For humans. For me... It couldn't have been any louder if Cain had just shouted in my ear.

His voice... It sent shivers down my spine...

He must be standing right behind me now. What...was he going to do? And...

Why was I unable to move? Jump up? Just get away? To...turn around? Anything!

"Anything at all...?"

Damn, why did he sound so amused. So...expectant. As if he was waiting for something. But...for what? I didn't think that I wanted to find out. Not really, anyway.

"Hmmm......?" I heard clothes rustling as he bent closer. His lips were almost touching my ear. I could feel him next to me, his breath brushing past my cheek, though we were hardly an inch or two apart. And yet...

_Don't go there_, I advised myself. I stared resolutely ahead, concentrating on the movie as if it might offer me salvation from this dilemma I was in. Needless to say, I didn't really see anything.

No, I did _not_ want to talk to Cain. I did not want to see, hear or feel him either. NO WAY!

"...my dear Shidou?" That _bastard_ really thought that all this was funny!? Amusement just for his benefit!? How _dare_ he—

He chuckled darkly again, obviously enjoying himself immensely. At my expense. Undoubtedly he sensed my discomfort, my anger. And my...confusion?

Before I had time to use my steadily increasing anger for something constructive – like fleeing, for example – I heard Cain walking around the couch. My awareness of his presence rose to a new height, something I would have believed to be impossible mere moments ago.

_What the _hell_ am I thinking?!_ My thoughts, my whole mind had suddenly become a confusing jumble of emotions. And take a guess _why_!

Then Cain, obnoxious, possessive, scheming bastard that he was, did something else to throw me completely off the track.

He sat down.

I did not turn my head. I. Did. Not. Want. To. Look. At. Him!!

Cain snaked an arm around my shoulders, pulling my traitorous, unresisting body against his, our hips barely touching through the cloth.

He chuckled. Yes, he was _definitely_ taking great pleasure in my distress. I was afraid of what that devious bastard would do next. For once, I would be happy to be disappointed. Unfortunately—

"So...my Shidou..."

It couldn't get worse, right?

"...what movie are we watching tonight?"

To be continued...?

Replies to reviews:

- Darkmaster2: I've never seen it written in Japanese, so I've taken some artistic license with the spelling. So it's 'Shidou' – at least for me.

- sylverwyvern: *gg* Hope you enjoy your plushies. *hugs Cain-plushie* (*Cain-plushie is hugging Shidou-plushie right now*)

- Mizuko: You got your wish! ^^V

- LadyoftheLake40: I hope I will be able to meet your expectations. Well, I'll certainly try to do my best. *winks*


	4. Chapter 3: He will be staying ! ?

QUESTION: How _do_ you get someone to face you? Especially when said Someone is rather...reluctant to do so. ^____________________^

Disclaimer: *sniffs* Those gorgeous guys from "Mayonaka no Tantei" (i.e. "Night Walker") still DO NOT belong to me. (But one can always wish for it, ne? ~__^)

Warning: This concerns a Relationship between two MALES. As I said, this fic WILL be lemony in the near future. (read: next chapter at the latest!)

Author's Note: Third Part. 'Nuff said. (P.S.: Just for the record – I LOVE pointed ears!!)

**For Once, Then, Something**

by Subaru

~ Part Three: He will be staying!? ~

He couldn't be serious.  . . . . Could he...?

I tried to pull away, to put some distance between myself and...him. Instantly, Cain's arm around my shoulders tensed. Refusing to let go of me, he instead tightened his grip and, bending even closer, whispered silkily: "You won't get away this easily, Shidou. . . ."

Damn! Even without having to look, I knew, I absolutely _knew_ Cain was smirking. The same infuriating smirk he always had: when he had me at a...disadvantage – and was aware of me knowing that. And being powerless to stop him.

". . . not this time."

I was quite angry by now. Surely Cain was aware of my rage – not that it mattered to him in the slightest. At least not enough to deter him from whatever he had planned. Why...? Why didn't he pull away and Finally. Leave. Me. Alone!!

"My Shidou. . ." He bent closer still and—

"Ouch! What did you do that for!?" I Instinctively whirled around and away from him, facing him. Undoubtedly this was what he had intended but... Why in hell had he _bitten_ me? And...in my ear no less!?

Cain must have seen my chagrin, my confusion. Seen and enjoyed it. He chuckled softly, darkly, for once not _quite_ menacing. I couldn't help but shiver. His voice, especially his laughter, had always had that effect on me... Rich, deep and slightly husky. Making me tingle all over, shivering partly in...discomfort? and partly in...anticipation?

Then I looked. _Really_ Looked at him.

If I hadn't, somewhere in a deeply buried part of myself - I _refuse_ to believe it is my heart! – _known_ and somehow...felt that this couldn't be anyone but Cain, I barely would have recognized him. He was still tall and stately as ever but. . . He had...changed. His appearance really was different – although his demeanor had most certainly remained his old arrogant, infuriating self.

Even before the bridge-incident, Cain had been beautiful, much as I hate to admit it, but now. . . . Now he was stunningly so, masculinely handsome, his beauty heightened to the point of— _Don't. Go. There!!_, I admonished myself. Instead I continued to gaze at him. Cain, in turn, simply did...nothing. He just remained sitting there, smile-smirking at me in that particular way only he could manage.

His hair, once a tumbling mass of rich, red-brown locks, had become a wavy, luxurious mane of honeyed gold. Absentmindedly I wondered whether it was as soft and silky as it looked. Following the line of his hair upward, I idly noticed that his ears were still pointed. Wouldn't the rest of his body also be...? _—Wait a moment! What am I thinking!?_

I stopped then and there. This was about as far as I wanted to...see him.

If his appearance had really changed so much, so...drastically... Wouldn't those gorgeous, hypnotizing eyes (Where had _that_ come from?) of his...?

Cain moved. Only minutely so, true, but even this small movement jerked me out of my Cain-induced trance and back to reality. Then, instinctively, I looked at him, right in his face. And _then_, as if my situation wasn't bad enough, I couldn't but look in his eyes. Great! Just the thing I had wanted to avoid the most. . . .

His eyes had been compelling before, garnet pools of radiant darkness, drawing his victim's mind down their wine-coloured depths to where _he_ wanted you to be.

But now... Now they were no less compelling, no, quite the contrary. They were positively mesmerizing. Having turned a shining golden color, they were no less burning, no less intense, their bright amber fire was... A predator's gaze.

Once someone was ensnared by that hypnotizing gaze of his, his victim was held – and held fast! – until Cain deemed it fit to release him.

And now – Cain had caught me.

I looked at him, somehow registering each and every tiny detail about him: from his midnight-blue coat to that single strand of silken gold that gently fell on his left cheek, but—

— I was unable to look away! What kind of spell had he worked on me!?

"None, my darling Shidou." Cain's smile widened a bit. "Yet. . ."

Had I, at this very moment, still had some semblance of control over my body, I would have drawn back, no, run, _fled_ in the opposite direction. However, with Cain's spell working like that, I had no choice at all but to remain where I was: on my couch in my office in front of my TV – next to me the one person I had fervently hoped to have disappeared for good.

"Shidou... I'm hurt," Cain mock-pouted. "Is that any way to greet a lover who has come so far just to see you?" He reached out.

I flinched. It was never 'just to see' with him. Never. Expecting him to strike me, Cain surprised me yet again. His hand just brushed my temple, trailed gently down my cheek and, upon reaching my jaw, Cain's hand turned around and tightened its grip.

And still I couldn't look away. . . .

"...After I have come such a long, long way?"

I was beginning to lose my focus, was beginning to lose myself in those infinite, endless pools of shining, golden radiance. I was beginning to drown. . . .

Help... 

He drew nearer until our faces were only some mere, feeble inches apart.

"My Shidou. . . ."

Someone... Help me... 

I could feel his breath ghosting over my face, caressing my features as a lover might do.

Why...? Why couldn't I look away...!?

And yet I had no choice. No choice at all. Helplessly pinned by his gaze, I watched him draw closer and closer, not even noticing his other hand coming up to rest on my shoulder.

When our lips were almost about to touch, he whispered softly: "...Ai shiteru..."

...I was speechless. _This_ was something I'd never ever have expected him to say.

He can't be serious! . . . . . . . Can he...? 

Still struggling with that 'shocking' revelation of his, I opened my mouth to reply, to give voice to my disbelief in and of his statement – a move that, apparently, had been anticipated. Cain swooped down, capturing my lips in a fierce, possessive kiss, pressing his mouth harshly on mine.

Shocked to the very core of my being, I instinctively tried to pull away from him. 'Tried to' was the right expression – for when Cain felt my reaction, he growled deep in his throat and tightened his grip on my shoulder. Cupping the nape of my neck with his other hand, he forcefully pulled me closer against him still. All the while he continued that mind-numbing kiss, simply ignoring my rather pathetic struggles to break free.

In the back of my mind, deep, _deep_ down in my consciousness, I somehow just _knew_ that Cain wouldn't accept any struggling, only surrender. I was half-afraid of what other...things might still be in the coming. Lifting my hands I set them against Cain's broad, well-muscled chest, trying to push him away. I could as soon have tried to move a mountain for all the success my efforts showed.

I tried to mumble a protest. That was – as I almost immediately realized – a _big_ mistake. As soon as I opened my mouth, Cain's tongue swept inside, easily overriding my startled dissent, once again claiming dominance.

To be continued. . . . .

*hides in closet* I'm scaaaaaaared!! *has never written a lemon before*

Reply to reviews:

A biiiiig 'Thank you!' to all the nice people who reviewed so far. I really appreciate your insights and comments.

@ LadyoftheLake40: Concerning Cain's looks...well...I was thinking about the difference in eps. 1-4 and 5-12. (He's gorgeous no matter what he looks like. ^^;;)

@ depressio: I'm glad that you like my story although I somewhat doubt you'll be really happy with this short chappy...

@ Darkmaster2: I agree. Poor, poor Shido. (And it's not getting better. *beg* At least not for him. ^^v)

@ VampireKidKara: Wow! Thanks. That was a really enthusiastic review. It was very encouraging!!


	5. Chapter 4: A something white, uncertain

QUESTIONS: *wails* How _did _I manage to get myself into this mess ? *BEG* And, more important: How's _Shidou gonna get __out of it again...? *nyarharhar*_

Disclaimer: "Mayonaka no Tantei" (i.e. "Night Walker") DOES NOT belong to me. T__T (Yet. But at least I have those two DVDs. . . ^^v)

WARNING!!!: a) This concerns a Relationship between two MALES. (And damn sexy ones at that!!) and b) This. Is. L-E-M-O-N !!! (And no, I do _not mean the fruit!) *runs for cover*_

Author's Note: My one request... If the urge to shoot, kill, maim or hurt me creeps up on you while you're reading this, please keep in mind: This *points to lemon* is a first for me! *dashes back into hiding*

**For Once, Then, Something**

by Hotaru Muraki

_ "I discerned, as I thought, beyond the picture,_

_Through the picture, a something white, uncertain,_

_Something more to the depths—and then I lost it."_

_                                                                                   (Robert Frost, 1920)_

~ Part Four: A Something White, Uncertain ~

The initial urgency of his kiss was, to my great surprise, matched by my own. What had that fiend done to me that made me react like that? What kind of dark sorcery, what spell had Cain used to ignite that...fire, this burning sensation in me? Wasn't he the enemy I had sworn to destroy? Or, more correctly, to conveniently just forget? And yet... Here I was, reacting to him exactly like I used to, long ago, back then...in Transylvania.

"Shidou... My darling Shidou... Don't you remember...?" Cain's voice was dark and deep, hypnotizingly seductive in its sultry purr. Somehow, he managed to make me open my mouth to him, accepting the warmth of his tongue with almost grateful delight. Was I slowly loosing my mind? Or... A horrifying thought struck me. Had I really...missed him? That much? Before I could ponder that any further, his tongue engaged mine in a torrid, almost violent duel for dominance. Guess who lost...

Cain's other hand had, by now, moved from my neck and come to rest on my thigh as well, my resistance somehow, miraculously, becoming nearly non-existent as our kiss continued. His groan of excited pleasure was echoed by one from somewhere deep, deep within me. That groan lengthened and intensified when his hand crept downward and started to almost-burn a bright, hot trail beneath my shirt from thigh to waist. When his hand travelled onward and made contact with my nipple, Cain pinched and rolled it roughly, turning it into a little, hard nub of flesh. Forgetting for the moment who exactly was laying siege to me, I arched upward into his caress.

"Why do you still resist me...? Don't you know that I do this out of love..." He always had been able to charm people using only his voice. I, sadly enough, was no exception, had no immunity from him – however much I would wish otherwise.

Trouble was, that by now, I really was starting to believe that thrice-damned bastard. I knew, I absolutely _knew_ that come next morning, I would hate myself and quite thoroughly, too, for having given in to temptation so easily and readily but now... Right now... I hate to admit it, but... I don't think I could have cared less. Somehow, he had always been able to do..._that_ to and with me.

Cain withdrew his tongue from the ravaged cavern of my mouth to trail its tip along my jaw. Shuddering slightly, I felt a thousand fires flame within me even as tiny shivers crept along my spine. I didn't know whether this happened because of what he was doing to me – or because of what I knew he was going to do to me. As his tongue laved against my ear, he sucked the lobe and nibbled it – roughly. I yelped, instinctively trying to escape that small pain. No such luck, however, as the one who called himself not only my sire but also my mate still remained lodged on top of me. And – I actually blushed upon that discovery – quite _adamantly_ so.

With Cain still lying mostly on top of me and him being the heavier one of the two of us, all I could do was tilt my head away. Instantly I realized that I really, really shouldn't have done that. Why? Well...

"Mmmhmm...... Shidou......"

I forgot that this action on my part would only allow him better access to my neck. Only in hindsight did I remember that he had always had a special 'thing' for my neck. Cain, being the opportunistic hedonist that he was, used this opening immediately of course. The movement brought his pelvis hard against mine, giving further evidence of his arousal. I wonder if he noticed that I was as hard as he was. Knowing Cain, that surely was the case – but whether or when he would decide to do something about it or if he would do anything about it at all. . . . . I shuddered at the prospects of what my mind insisted on telling me was yet to come. Why...? Why was I so weak...? Why wasn't I strong enough to...push him away?  To refuse him? Why did I allow him to continue like this!?

"Because you know that we belong together. We always have. And we always will..." And with that, Cain decisively moved to my neck, darting out his tongue to rasp over the main artery there. I squirmed, trying to push him off or at least get him away from _there_. I really, really did not want him there. ...Yet.

-----Wait a moment. . . Where had THAT come from... !?

I struggled to get away – at least as far as I could. Or, to be more truthful, as far as Cain would let me. This, as I should have guessed, was naturally just another turn-on for him. I grasped a handful of his wonderful gold-silken mane and tried to physically drag his head back to my mouth. The idea of the lesser of two evils—Oh hell! Who am I kidding!?

Cain complied, smirking somewhat smugly. Did I ever mention that I...hate him?

"Why, Shidou... I never thought you would be so...eager." That..._tease!! How does he do it? How does he know so unerringly where and how to push and where to pull. Bastard!!_

Cain's first kiss was hungry, ravenous, maybe even primal in its consuming urgency. The second was both different and similar. I felt a..._need suffusing the air. Was it his? Or... Was it mine? All I knew at this moment was that suddenly, surprising to myself, I was caught up in this strange...mood. Or whatever 'this' was._

Although I would never ever tell Cain, right now, I wanted him with a passion that surely matched his own. I wanted him as I had wanted him...back then. Just as surely and as much as I craved sustenance or...what? What exactly was I really after? Surely all those passion-filled, heady nights, those seemingly endless trysts, the companionable afterglow of two lovers...was _not what I was looking for? Or...maybe......it.........was? With a somewhat sinking feeling I realized that Cain might, just might have a point there. Yes, and __there, too. The knowledge made my head swim. Then the last vestiges of rational sanity reared their head. I hated him, right? This – whatever 'this' was - _could not_ be true! '__Then why do you keep on letting him do things like that?', a treacherous tiny voice whispered in my mind, just as my tongue reached out to touch Cain's in another passionate duel for dominance. I could feel the smooth enamel of Cain's canines as he grinned. Then he moved._

All sense of rational thought fled from me. One moment I was vaguely aware of thinking that surely my legs would buckle beneath me any second now – only to discover that I was already lying beneath Cain's sensual, _aroused, male body. He always had had this talent of...making me feel like...like...I was...flying. . ._

_Gods, why does this always happen to me...?,_ I wailed silently. Cain, for once, didn't bother to answer. ...He was occupied differently right now. His hands peeled or, rather, _ripped the shirt off my chest, too impatient to bother with all those tiny, _encumbering_ buttons. And before the slight breeze from the half-open office-window could chill my skin, Cain was raining heated kisses and tiny, erotic nips and bites over it._

Needless to say I was way too far gone by this point to pay attention or even care about such absolutely irrelevant things like office windows, food or anything else. My fingers combed his hair with wilful abandon, my body trembling from his touch as time and again he returned to the depths of my mouth to re-establish his claim. And, shameful as it is for me to admit it, I wanted to provide him with as much pleasure as he gave me with such apparent ease. So...for starters, I ripped up his shirt in return.

Cain chuckled but before he could utter any more of his witty repartees, I nipped and laved at his shoulder – intending only to take revenge on him, of course. Instead, I found myself gaining unimaginably sensual delights from the muscular strength I discovered.

"Aaaah. . . . . Shi...dou. . ." Cain's voice was only a raspy, seductive purr now.

The sheer intensity of my _need_ for him stunned me. I surely had never known such an aching, desperate..._want when being with anyone else. . . Dimly, I was aware of the sound of ripping fabric as Cain feverishly tore away the shredded remains of my shirt to taste more of my naked flesh. I felt a shudder of desire rip through me as Cain's hands slipped beneath my upper body, kneading and massaging my flesh, sending my nerves on fire along the way._

Cain, however, wasn't satisfied with simply removing my shirt alone. After he had kissed and teased my neck some more – and undoubtedly given my the hickey of my life – he lowered me back onto the couch again. The he straddled me. And looked at me. Just looked. What _was_ he thinking...?

I must have made some minute movement, because the next thing I knew was Cain standing up again. Mewling in protest, already half-lost in that haze he had brought me into, I reached out for him. I wanted to feel him again, to have him pressed against me, to have me---

Cain chuckled. He must have plucked the image of what I wanted him to do to, no, to do _with_ me from the surface of my mind because he suddenly smirked even more...seductively than before. "Why, my darling Shidou... I never knew you to be so...eager, so...creative... But if you really want to..." And with an inhumanly swift move, my sire seized what was left of my clothing and ripped it off, not caring where bits and pieces of cloth might fall or what would happen to the fabric afterwards. This of course yanked me against his broad chest where I was enfolded in two strong, muscular arms. I was too dazed to mount much of a resistance, and what I did was more for show and decorum than anything else. Cain knew it as well as I did which he proved by avidly, hungrily kissing me once more.

By the time he propelled me backwards onto the couch again, I was rather unsuccessfully trying to convince myself that it was only a lack of oxygen and willpower that hindered me from moving away. All I could do was lay where he had put me and watch him divest himself of the finely tailored garments he wore. And then I saw how far the change I had perceived in him earlier _really went._

Before I could do more than blink at him once or twice, Cain was moving towards me again. He was looking at me as if he wanted me to _want what I was seeing. As if he wanted to show me that...what? He was beautiful? I already knew that. That he wanted me as much as I wanted him? That, too, I had been forced to admit already. What then was he trying to tell me with his eyes? That he literally came back for me? That he always would...? I didn't know whether to be frightened or elated at that. In fact, I didn't know anything anymore._

As he seductively crawled all over me, Cain bent his head and, after nipping softly at my earlobe, whispered, "Shidou... You think too much." Lick. "You..." Kiss. "...should..." Nip. "...really..." Kiss. "...just." Nip. "..._feel." Bite!_

The throaty groan that broke the silence of the office could not have come from me. Just as the soft, mewling sounds following could not be mine. And it could not be me who started to writhe under Cain as the older male began his devilish ministrations like a sculptor carving a statue from a block of marble.

"...oh, Shidou... When will you...finally stop lying...to yourself...?" Cain's voice was astonishingly patient, yet amused as always. And still he was continuing to drive me crazy with his hands roaming all over my body in ways that would make even Yayoi light up like a red lighthouse-beacon.

"....when...Aaaaah!....yoooouu...take me.......seriously," I managed to gasp out between his twirling my nipples into pebbles and his stroking my length to such a hardness it _hurt_.

A momentary lapse in movement made me look up at him. Cain watched me in a cat-ate-the-canary-and-polished-off-the-cream way. His smile was really, really starting to scare me...

"Oh...but I _do_ intend to take you seriously!" He mock-assured me before simultaneously squeezing my erection and thrusting two fingers into a ring of muscle that was no longer used to such a treatment.

I did the only thing I could. I screamed.

And I screamed even louder as Cain started to move his fingers around, searching for...something. Unable to escape from his fingers, his wandering mouth or his waves of golden silk slithering over my heated body, I writhed and bucked under him as Cain added a third finger, widening and stretching my hole. At the same time he was again and again rubbing over the spot that made me see the sun even in the middle of the night. He did not allow me release, however, near though it was.

When he withdrew his fingers, I keened in loss of the sensation, grasping blindly for completion. Cain quieted me swiftly by sealing my mouth with his, at the same time lifting my trembling legs over his shoulders, positioning his cock at my waiting entrance. I whimpered mindlessly, too eager for fulfilment to care for anything beyond him and now, all but begging him to _finally take me._

And take me he did.

With one strong push, Cain seated himself within me, filling me as only he and no-one else ever could. Then he started to move, slowly driving his erection in and out of the tight sheath that was my ass. And with each thrust home, Cain brushed and hit against my pleasure-spot until I saw stars, felt a monumental wave of... something dawning on the horizon of my awareness.

I arched up against him, levering myself on his shoulder. "Caaaaiiinn......"

While he continued to move and I continued to writhe, both of us caught in heated passion not felt for all too long a time, Cain's lips had meandered from ravishing my pliant mouth to nipping at my neck. And when I wantonly pressed up against him, all but yielding myself to his dominance, his fangs pierced the delicate skin over my aorta, ceding the life-giving fluid into his waiting mouth. He immediately started to draw my blood, all the while keeping up his relentless grinding rhythm.

The dual sensation of Cain sucking at my neck and driving his cock in and out of me were to much for me to bear any longer. With a long, shuddering wail I came hard and fast, Cain following soon after me. This was a release I had not known that I craved until I had savoured it.

Afterwards, we just lay there for a while, resting, recuperating from something I lack the words to describe in its entire complexity. Cain had enfolded me in his arms once more, gently cradling my yielding limbs against his larger frame, for once content to just...relax, drift slowly off into sleep. As for me...

...I was in heaven for I was complete once more.

To Be Concluded. . .

Author's Note: If anyone's interested – this was finished at exactly 23:59 (= 11:59 p.m.). Would that such handsome ghosts would haunt me in my house and not only in my head! ^.^v

Reply to reviews: Hope it was not too much? *hands around tissues* ....Or was it? ^.^

- inucuttie37, Meamz and Mizuko: Your wait is over. What do you say? *winks* I'm glad you people like what I have written. It's encouraging to receive such reviews!

- WyldSnoRose: As you wish. *BG* A laptop would really, really come in handy, though. ~__^

- SoulSister: Don't we all love him? *VBEG* As for Shidou... IMHO, he's just in denial. ^^;;

- silverwyvern: Eto... Compared to this chappie, the last chapter was no lemon or if you want, just a lemonette. (Does this word even _exist_!?) (Me dream weird stuff again. __;;)

- Lady-Silverkiss: I know I do a good, satisfying job when I get a review like yours. *hugs* Thank you for letting yourself be convinced!!

- Darkmaster2: Your steady support helps to keep me fixed on this thing. ^^v


	6. Epilogue

Questions: Is there an explanation – ANY explanation – to what's happened?

Disclaimer: How often will I have to repeat myself? *sigh* Neither ‚Mayonaka no Tantei', a.k.a. ‚Nightwalker', nor Cain or Shidou are mine. They're in possession of  themselves, each other and their respective associates.

Notes: But DO I wish it were different! (If only for continuing the series and explaining that ‚Golden Dawn'-business Cain keeps rambling about. :-P) And let's face it: who wouldn't like to have some good-looking bishies to do with as one pleases...? Anyway, this is it. For now, anyway. (*ducks* I can see several plot-bunnies lurking around already. ^^;;)

Dedication: To all those who reviewed.

**For Once, Then, Something**

by Hotaru Muraki

Epilogue

It is often that you are woken from sleep by someone leaving your side. Strangely enough, this was not what had roused me today. But... Then what had?

As I sat up, I simultaneously noticed several things. The shades were still drawn, closed so as to not allow any rays of the sun to reach me. There was someone coming up the staircase to my offices, someone chirpy, chipper and _loud, to be precise. And, wonder of wonders, I was fully clothed. I blinked at that discovery. Last night...Cain...and... Blushing at some particularly...graphic images didn't really help here, either. Hadn't I...? I distinctly remember falling asleep in my...sire's arms. But if that was true then... This lead my mind to the most important observation I must subconsciously have refused to make. There was no Cain in my office! Not even a tiny sign! No smirking, egotistical person hidden in the shadows. None. Nada. Nothing._

Now I was really confused. Confused, yes, but not surprised. Not really. He simply was like that. There today and gone tomorrow. ............Yeah, I wish! Chuckling wearily to myself, I stood up, heading for my desk and the comfortable chair behind it. This was what I was needing right now. That is, apart from—No, I would NOT contemplate that!

Once I was sitting in said seating accommodation, I was for once actually grateful for the fast healing capacities my vampiric powers entailed. Otherwise, sitting in or on anything would have been very, _very uncomfortable for the time being. I decided not to go looking who or what was trampling upwards on the stairs. Yes, I was feeling too lazy for that. '– or too...satiated maybe...?' a traitorous, tiny voice whispered, rising from my subconscious. Quelling it and stuffing it back where it had risen from, I argued that if this really were trouble, I would not have to look for it. Trouble always seemed to be looking for me, instead. And I was more than fit to deal with it._

Anyway, I felt a bit... disappointed that Cain had left. Especially after a night like the last one. So... Why did he leave again? Leave...me? I refuse to believe that he had simply given up. Not his style. Not if Cain knew what was good for him.

Blink. Blink. Now where had that come from? Masaka... Don't tell me I was giving in, starting to get used to---

WHAM!

With a disruptively loud bang, the door to my office flew open. I had my blood-sword out and ready before I knew it – only to face a rather shocked Rihou in the doorway, a smug Guni nestled in her hair and a rather amused Yayoi standing behind them.

"You know, trying to surprise someone by kicking down his door could get you severely injured. It's not a very healthy thing to do in the long run." Sighing, I dismissed the sword again, leaning back into the comfort of...my office chair. Blink. What had I expected?

"Speaking of healthy..." Yayoi purred as she walked around her two companions. "...how have you been this looooong, lonely weekend... Shidou?" And with that, Yayoi sat on my desk, leant over and gave me a Look, _purely by accident also giving me an eye-full._

"Maa, maa... It has been somewhat...quiet without you," I said, looking her deeply in the eyes. "Yayoi, you know it's...lonely and so... boringly calm when you are not here." I was fighting down a blush that I _knew_ only wanted to confirm the lie I had just uttered. Calm...lonely...boring... Hah! As if!

"Yayoi-_san_!" Rihou admonished, all indignant and a-fluster with Yayoi's flirting with me. Shouldn't she be used to that by now? But then again, she still was very much the child she had once been. Part of her charm, I guess. "That is not the proper way for a home-coming to be!"

"Oh?" Black eyebrow raised in a perfect arc of amused tolerance. "...then tell me, Rihou-_chan_... What is? What is your idea of a home-coming? Hm...?"

If she had been a cat, Rihou's hair would have bristled at Yayoi's comment. As it was, the girl just huffed, glaring at the older woman, trying to gather her rather ruffled dignity while also trying not to look at me. Quite unsuccessfully so, I might add. Then, when she had smoothed her dress to her satisfaction, Rihou came to stand in front of my desk.

"Shidou-san... Tadaima..."

Her shy greeting, accompanied by a light blush staining her cheeks, made me smile. Rihou was endearingly cute, in her own special way.

"....Okaerinasai, minna."

"And that's it?" A cheeky voice piped up. The owner of that voice spread her wings and flew over to rest on my top-hat. "What's all that talk about 'home-coming' and 'proper way' then?"

"Guni..." I valiantly tried to suppress a long-suffering sigh, but succeeded only partially. Not that it would deter the little urban-fairy from anything. "...I'm glad you guys are home, too," I said, smiling, mussing up her hair a little.

With an undignified little squeak, Guni took flight again, deciding to perch once more on top of Rihou's conveniently braided hair. I decided to ignore her mutterings of 'Shidou no baka', '...next time, I'll...' and frequent '...what if...'s. That was just Guni's very own manner of declaring her satisfaction at being home again.

"Anyway," I turned towards the other two women currently sitting in my office. "How was your weekend?"

About half an hour later, I had received a very detailed account of their weekend, starting with their leaving at the airport  ("The flight attendant was really good-looking..." – "My, my... Yayoi, do you want to make me jealous?" – "Shidou, would I ever do such a thing...?") and ended with their return to my office ("It wasn't my idea to break down your door, Shidou-san. Honestly!" – "Rihou, I'm sure you had only the best intentions." – "Ha, as if anyone would believe that crap!" – "Wah... Guni hidooooiii...!"). In between the antics of a red-eyed, green-skinned urban fairy and a forever-15-year-old girl, Yayoi told me about their vacation. Apparently, her relative owned the resort the three of them had been staying in. It was small, but well maintained, beautifully situated and, upon request, _very private. The last was said with a suggestive wink in my direction, backed up with the proposition-cum-invitation that I should really, really join them the next time. And return to that place was something the three females definitely planned to do._

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

Somewhere else,  lips were drawn back to show the smooth white of teeth, canines only adding to the effect of the smirking whole.

"A hot springs resort, hm......" A hypnotizingly sultry, deep voice purred. "...would you like that, my Shidou?" Indulgent chuckling. "....would you like to find out...?"

The voice was just oozing amusement, a sort of contented anticipation.

~ + ~ + ~ + ~ + ~

"Shidou...?"

"Shidou-san...?"

"...Oi, Shidou!"

Three pairs of eyes made me snap back from whatever trance I had been in. Damn!

"...Yes?" Best play it innocent. They need not know. It would only aggravate them, spoil their holiday spirit, right? Right.

"So you really, actually will..." Yayoi blinked in astonishment.

I have a baaad feeling about this.

"....go with us the next time we go there?" Rihou finished the sentence, for once in accord with Yayoi. If I had not been so busy trying to wish for a hole to swallow me up in order to escape this situation, I even might have found the incident amusing. Alas, no such luck!

"........Ano... Maybe I---"

"Shidou," Guni interrupted my attempt at strategic retreat.

"Yes?" For once I was actually glad for her habit of butting in on conversations.

"...care you tell me...," the little green fairy asked, perching precariously on the lamp standing on my desk. "....Why are there shirt-buttons in your lamp-shade?"

Groaning, I buried my head in my hands. I am _so doomed..._

O W A R I

+Omake+

A well-manicured, strong hand browsed through a guide detailing Japan's most famous resorts. It slowed down when the section with hot springs, their specialities and accommodations came up. After turning over a page to reveal the description of the 'Midori Rakuen' hot-springs resort, the hand stopped. The reader of the guide must have found the details really intriguing for his predatory gaze narrowed in contemplation.

"......'Green Paradise', hmm........"

Twin pools of golden amber lit up in what could only be described as speculative consideration.

Reply to reviews:

I said it before, but I'll repeat it: Your support, your reviews and your kind, encouraging words made me actually finish this fic. *hands around Nightwalker-shaped cookies* Thanks, minna!

- Darkmaster2: Thanks for the comment. I must have done _something_ right at least, ne? ~__^

- SoulSister: I don't mind, I honestly don't mind! Be as hyper as you want when reviewing my fanfics. *throws NW-plushies*

- silverwyvern: Well… I hope I'm not disappointing you with this one. (Seeing as it's the epilogue of _this_ story. __;;)


End file.
